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What to Do About Summer?

As the August sun burns, summer is slowly coming to an end. Ahead lies a new school year with tasks and challenges, making us question whether or not the last few months have been successfully used as a student.

We are already in August and it seems like just yesterday that we had our last exams and cheered for the next few months of freedom. Now, with only a few weeks left before classes start, I start to wonder what kind of concept “summer” actually is.

When we were kids, it was the season of no school and outdoor explorations. A temporary release from prison, where there were no teachers to tell you off, no early morning alarm clocks and best of all, no homework. Summer was the climax of the year and the epitome of being free to explore the other side of town or the other side of the world.

Today, university students still maintain the excitement concerning the summer holiday. We see it as a reward for all our hard work throughout the past semester. A prize we receive for all the hours spent at the library and a time, where classes no longer bind us to Solbjerg Plads and Dalgas Have. The liberty we experienced as kids still seem to be the foundation of the summer holidays. As if we are free to do what we please. But is this the reality of it all?

As much as I would like myself to believe that my summer holiday has been a destressing treat and a time of mindfulness and peace, the truth is, I have been anxious and nervous throughout the most of it. Wondering if my time at the beach could have instead been spent learning something new. Questioning if my week abroad should have instead been used on a summer job to improve my CV. Doubting whether my choice of fictional books would have been more giving if I read up on some extra theoretical texts instead.

The summer holidays seem to only guarantee the fear of missing out

Caroline Charlotte Boas Andersen, student editor

The solution to my problem induced thoughts could easily be Summer School, but with that, a new stress enhancing doubt arises, as I suddenly worry about missing out on weekday parties, exciting trips to the Far East, or joining friends and family for a trip to the country side.

Either way, the summer holidays seem to only guarantee the fear of missing out – whether it be socially, financially or academically. The dilemma of what to do during the summer seems to linger. Both for myself and for others.

It is as though our ambitions and visions for the future are making the carelessness of our childhood summers difficult to maintain. Because, despite being done with finals, we still keep examining ourselves about what could, would, and should happen in these summer months – and no distance in the world or extra curricula can seem to stop this.

Summer gives us the liberty to choose what to do, but the options seem endless, resulting in a boomerang effect, where our possibilities also become restrictions towards gaining peace and comfort in the choices we make. There always seems to be something else to do. Something smarter. Something wilder. Something better.

Regret seems to be the only souvenir everyone comes back home with and it’s worrying to know that we can’t even enjoy a situation, which is only happening for a privileged few.

Because as hard as it is to believe, the world keeps on spinning from July through to August and it needs people to work regardless of the season. As students, we often blind ourselves and see the summer holidays as a necessity rather than a privilege, which is only making the lack of appreciation of the holidays worse.

If all we can do with summer is to stress about it then what good is it?

Instead, we could start to appreciate the opportunities these months provide us with – whether it be extra school courses, new adventures or trying to catch up on the latest season of Game of Thrones. We need to be decisive and relaxed in whatever we choose to do because if we deny ourselves this, we will come back to CBS feeling less encouraged, inspired and destressed.

So, do with summer as you please, but just remember to embrace and enjoy the privilege of this time, as it will not last forever.